Electrically powered ceiling fans typically have a motor mounted within a stationary housing that is suspended from a ceiling. In operation, the motor rotates an annular array of individual extensions in the form of blade irons. Each blade iron is associated with a blade mounted thereto.
Ceiling fans are usually sold at retail with their blades packed separately from the blade irons for compactness, and the blade irons packed separately from the motor. In mounting a ceiling fan, the housing is normally mounted in suspension from the ceiling through a downrod and then the blades are mounted to the blade irons and the blade irons are mounted to the motor.
The blade irons are typically coupled to the motor by passing mounting screws through holes in the blade iron and into threaded holes in the motor. This task however can be difficult or tedious when the electric motor is already suspended from the ceiling. The difficulty is attributed to the fact that the mounting screws are usually passed from the top of the blade iron to hide the screw heads from view. The installer must align the holes in the blade iron with the holes in the motor while simultaneously passing the screws through the holes. The installer typically does this from a position below the ceiling fan, thereby limiting the installer's ability to view the mounting holes and thus aligning the mounting holes and drivably rotate the screws.
Similarly, the blades of ceiling fans are usually coupled to the blade irons by passing mounting screws through holes in the blade and into threaded holes in the blade iron. Again, this task however can be difficult or tedious for the same reasons previously described in reference to mounting the blade irons to the motor.
Accordingly, it is seen that a need remains for a blade iron that can be quickly and easily mounted to a motor. It is to the provision of such therefore that the present invention is primarily directed.